Disclaimer: FF8 and all the components are still not mine, although I'm now starting up a club. The goal of said club is to storm the Final Fantasy headquarters and hold all the game creators hostage until they make FF8 the way it should be, with Rinoa getting lost in the end and Seifer and Squall getting the major smooching in. Heck, forget Rinoa. Let's just skip to the smooching ^_^ So.. Who's with me? Oh right... Boco Burger belongs to whoever it belongs too, so there ya go :D
Warning: Language (naturally), mild Rinoa bashing (of course), and most obvious is a highly confused/pissed Seifer ^^
Okay, wow, Ruth's birthday was what, two months ago? Sorry and all ^_^; Hopefully the pace will quicken up now, but I guess we'll see :-) Oh, and I guess we can all thank Sukunami for even getting this chapter here as 'fast' as it was. Thanks :D
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`". . . And you're positive it was him?" Irvine looks at me from his seat at the table, his eyes going back and forth as he follows my pacing form.
I make an unconscious growling noise in the back of my throat as I turn on him. "Yes, I'm positive it was him, for the fiftieth fucking time today. Any other stupid questions you'd like to ask while we're at it?"
Irvine shrugs. "No, but if you'll just calm down I might have a bit of advice for you."
I glare at him, and then yank a chair out from under the table and fall into it. I stare at him pointedly.
He smiles lazily. "Okay, so, without you talking, allow me to try and assess the situation okay?" He notices me about to speak and hastily holds up a hand to stop me. "That would be a rhetorical question. So you go to the dorms, see him, and run off without even bothering to hear the rest of his story? Did you even ask him how he was doing or anything? It would seem to me that if you want to get close to him again, make him remember, as it were, you might want to befriend him. I know from what you've told me that if I were Squall, I would think that you were more or less insane, never mind the fact that he probably thinks you knew him at some point." He leans towards me, his eyes filled with a strange twinkling light. "Now, what I think you should do is go back there, make friends, and whatever you do, try not to let on that you used to know him with your words, use actions. If he's going to remember you then he'll remember you, simple as that. And, if he's named a 'big stupid fucking dog' after you, then he can't have forgotten everything, correct?"
I answer grudgingly. "Correct."
He leans back and pounds the table with his fist. "Exactly! So, what are you still doing sitting here?"
I cross my arms and look at the table. "I don't want to go back."
Irvine raises an eyebrow. "Ah, is big bad Seify afraid?" He obviously means it as a joke, until he catches sight of my face and snort laughs. "Oh Hyne, you are afraid, aren't you?"
I scowl at him and he begins laughing, almost to the point of being hysterical. I roll my eyes. "I'm not afraid, I just don't want to go alone, okay? So you can shut up now." And I mean it too, it's just a little bit too overwhelming for me to finally see my ex-lover all happy with a fairy book girlfriend. I mean fuck, they even bought a dog together.... In all the possible reunions I imagined, this was definitely not one of them. How am I supposed to help it if I'm feeling a tad bit insecure?
His laughter begins to taper off slowly, and finally he gets a hold on himself. "So, if I go with you, will you go and try to take my advice?"
I decide to take a page out of Squall's book. I stand and turn while muttering a 'whatever', and head for the door. I hear Irvine stand with a laugh, and then the jangle of car keys as he snatches them off the counter. He whistles as he passes me and unlocks the doors for us. As I climb in he grins at me. "Let's go befriend us a Squall, shall we?"
I scowl at him, but the man is obviously unaffected by the look. The shortish ride to the dorms is rather silent, aside from Irvine's cheerful whistling. I spend the time with my arms folded across my chest by staring at random pedestrians. Some might call the expression on me face pouty, but I prefer 'Glare of Death'.
When we get to the dorm gates Irvine slaps me, not very friendly either, in order for me to give him my access card. I hand it to him after a brief struggle of getting it out of my pocket, and he grins at me as he reaches out and swipes it through the swiper thing. The gate makes a beeping sound and then swings open, at which Irvine starts the car up and drives slowly though the dormitory parking lot. He parks directly underneath my second story dorm and, after pausing to shut the door carefully, races up the stairs. I take a moment to utter a death wish upon him before following at a more sedate pace. I, unlike the cowboy wannabe, am not in any particular hurry to rush in and see Squall all content with his new girlfriend.
The door opens, amid much loud barking, after the third knock on the door. Squall throws a familiar slightly confused glance at Irvine before standing aside and letting us through. The huge Dog, who I refuse to refer to by its idiotic name, regards me for only a moment before heading for Irvine. My dark mood is temporarily broken at the sight of the Cowboy on tippy toes, staring down at the Dog, whose head is firmly positioned in Irvines crotch. Amazingly the man gives a true smile and says, "he must smell my cat."
Squall mouth hints at the barest of smiles as he yanks the Dog off of Irvine, who immediately holds out his hand. "Hey! I'm Irvine, a reluctant friend of Seifers. And you are...?"
I roll my eyes at Irvine's innocent act as Squall accepts the offered hand and shakes it firmly. "Squall Leonhart."
I almost have a heart attack at Irvines next words. "Hmm," he drawls, entirely too casual, "I don't suppose you would be of any relation to Raine Leonhart, now would you?"
I make a classic slicing motion at my neck behind Squall in order to get Irvine to shut up, but he obviously can't, or won't, take the hint. That stupid fucker... here he is telling *me* not to mention Squall's past, and he's bringing up his mother? I slap my forehead as the conversation continues.
Squall leans forward, obviously intrigued. "I'm not sure. Do you know where I can find her?"
Irvine lazily shrugs one shoulder and then lets it drop while smiling a slow secretive smile. "Sure thing. You can find Miss Raine at the west end of the cemetery off of the old Main Street." He watches as Squall leans back, somewhat crestfallen, before he continues. "You can, however, find her best friend/ supposed lover. I'm sure he would know all about her. Maybe you've heard of him... Laguna Loire?"
Squalls dark eyebrows raise in mild surprise. "The mayor?"
Irvine nods. "The very one."
Squall scrutinizes Irvine carefully and then nods. "I'll go talk with him tomorrow. Thank you."
Irvine touches the brim of his ridiculous cowboy hat. "No problem at all."
Squall then turns to me, still holding onto the panting Dog. "I wasn't sure where you wanted it, so I told the movers to put your things in your room for now."
I mutter a 'thanks' and groan mentally as I picture having to find a place for all my things in this cramped dorm.
Irvine obviously feels my pain, because he comes up and throws an arm around my shoulder. He winks at us. "Okay friends, here's the plan. First I'm gonna take y'all out to lunch, or dinner, which ever you feel like eating. Then we're gonna come back here and I'm gonna help old Seify find a place for his ancient junk."
I glare at him. "It is *not* ancient junk."
"Suuure it isn't, love." He flashes me a patronizing smile, and then turns back to Squall. "So, what say you to the plan?"
Squall frowns. "Rinoa will be here in an hour and a half."
Irvine snorts. "Oh please, that's plenty of time. Grab your coat, I'm buying. I'll see y'all down at the car." And, that being said, he turns and leaves. Squall turns to me, a dark eyebrow slightly raised in question.
"Does he do that often?"
I nod my head. "All the time, and that's not even the half of it."
He nods and leaves, leaving me to get the door. I wave at the Beast on my way out. "Later mutt." The dog woofs after me.
The ride is a short one, the dorm being surprisingly close to the business area of town. The only trouble we had was figuring out exactly what kind of food we wanted and where to eat. Irvine voted for Hooters, but Squall and I vetoed that idea fairly quickly. Eventually we decided on Boco Burger, a small restaurant with excellent food but somewhat scary decorating. I mean come on, they have little plastic chocobos dancing in big bowler hats on every table. What's not to be afraid of?
Irvine slides into a seat without bothering to grab a menu. Selphie drags him here often enough that he probably has the whole thing memorized. Squall sits in the booth across from Irvine, and I groan at having decide who to sit by. Irvine snickers quietly at my discomfort, and Squall ignores me while staring dubiously at the picture of the big cartoonish yellow chocobo in suspenders displayed on the front of the menu. I look between the two of them before resorting to old fashioned measures: ye old 'eeny meenie miney moe' game. My mental finger ends up on Squall and so I sit next to him, doing my best to make as little contact as possible.
The brunette doesn't seem to notice me as he opens the menu and scans the interestingly named selections, and so I relax as much as possible, trying not to let on to the fact that I'm trying my hardest to get a whiff of his shampoo. Apparently though I'm not quite as stealthy as I believed, because he turns to me with scrunched eyebrows. "Do you have a cold?"
I stop sniffing and mutter a 'no'. Thankfully the day is saved by the twenty something waitress who comes to take our orders.
Irvine makes a big show of checking her out as he orders his Root Beer and Bokodog (the Boco Burger's variation of a hot dog), but I know that he'll never act on his impulses aside from some serious flirting. Not only is he incredibly faithful, Selphie would have his head if she thought he was cheating on her. Squall orders a Boco Burger and his customary glass of water, a drink that I loved to tease him about in the beginning of our relationship. I never really stopped messing around with him until the day I found myself soaked to the bone, thanks to him throwing the glass at my head.
The waitress finishes scribbling down their drinks and looks at me expectantly.
"I think I'll just have a Coke, no ice, please."
She scrunches up her eyebrows. "I'm sorry sir, did you say 'no ice'?"
I look at her and nod. "Yes, no ice, thank you."
"Whatever floats your boat, sir." She shakes her head and walks away with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
I look back to my dinner companions and find them both staring at me with an odd look. I frown defensively. "What? It's not like it's the end of the world or anything."
Irvine whistles. "You'd be surprised."
We spend most of the time in silence, the only real noise being in the form of Irvine's whistling of that stupid song, 'Eyes on Me'. Honestly, it does get old after a while. The food finally comes, and the other two eat while I swish my drink around in my Choko-Cup. Irvine doesn't bother to discriminate and just eats french fries and Boco Dog mixed together, whereas Squall carefully alternates between his Boko Burger and the stringy potato sticks.
"So, Squall," Irvine coughs to clear his throat, "how exactly did you get joined up with Caraway Law? You don't look nearly old or stuffy enough to be a board member."
Squall smiles faintly. "I'm only a junior board member, and I signed with the company as a favor to Mr. Caraway."
Irvine leads forward, eyebrow raised in question. "What did you owe him a favor for?"
Squall looks around discreetly, and his voice unintentionally lowers. "Mr. Caraway was the man who helped me after I first woke up with amnesia. He found me the best doctors to treat my wounds and is doing everything he can to help me find my past life."
Irvine makes an 'ahh' sound. I snort. "And of course you gained his daughter in the process."
Irvine tried to shoot me a 'cool it' message with his eyes, but I ignore him. Squall frowns. "Rinoa was the one who found me originally, although I imagine it was an accident. She really is a lovely person, once you can get past the ditziness."
I huff. "I'm sure." Ditziness, says he; plain idiocy, says I.
Both of them soon begin a heated conversation about something or other, with Irvine punctuating random points with french fries. I don't really bother to listen to the words, and instead focus on the sound of Squall's voice. I really shouldn't be upset over Rinoa, I mean, he's happy with her, right? And Squall is usually a good judge of character, so she can't be *that* bad, unless his accident did more to his brain than cause amnesia. But damn it, he's supposed to be with me. I sigh.
I don't know how long I'm lost in that track of thought until I feel a jab in my side. I reflexively growl out "watch it, Puberty Boy", before realizing my error. Thankfully he doesn't comment, although he gives me the strangest look before motioning me out of my seat. I hurry up and move out of the booth, dropping a tip on the table for the waitress, who flashes me a still bemused look on our way out. Honestly, no ice isn't that big of a deal. I give her an annoyed glare on the way out, and she at least has the decency to look chagrined.
The ride home is spent with all of us lost in out own thoughts, except for Irvine, who sings along with the radio at the top of his lungs. Thankfully the idiot has a good voice, or I would have thrown him out the window a long time ago.
When we get to the apartment we find Rinoa waiting for us outside the door. She glances at Irvine, who promptly introduces himself, and then rounds on Squall. It was probably something about how he was supposed to be here for her and she was cold and she was worried... blah blah blah. Honestly lady, who gives a shit.
Squall opens the door, thanks Irvine and me for dinner, and then he and Rinoa retire to their room. A few seconds later the door reopens and the dog is shoved out, most likely Rinoa's doing. The dog growls half heartedly and then flops down on the couch, not even wagging his tail at us. Hn, I know exactly how he feels.
The next several hours are spent in a whirlwind of activity, Irvine and myself racing against time to unpack my belongings. Or, at least, I'm racing against time. Irvine prefers to follow at a sedate pace, every so often holding up an item at random and asking if it's something I *really* need to keep. I put up with it until he holds up my gunblade, a weapon I designed and built back in my school days. It's not until I threaten to shove the half sword, half gun weapon where the sun doesn't shine that Irvine finally gets to work. Most of my stuff stays in my room, but some of the stuff, mainly pots and pans, is banished into the kitchen. When we finally finished we're both hot, sweaty, and incredibly tired. Irvine and I shake hands, and then he leaves, half stumbling on his way out the door. I see him out and then return to my room, flopping down onto the freshly made bed without even bothering to get under the covers.
I've just reached a perfect comfortable position when I hear the worst thing I could possibly hear at this moment: the stupid dog whining and scratching at the door. I pull a pillow over my head in hopes that it will go away, but due to some strange factor the noise only seems to get louder. Finally I jump up and throw open the door with full intentions to smack the dog, or something, when I hear a feminine moan from Squall's room. I scrunch my eyebrows together, not sure I heard right, and then have to fight a wave of nausea as it come again. I look down at the dog. "Fine, Mutt, you can come in just this on...."
The dog pushes past me and makes a flying leap onto my bed, where he promptly splays his body across the center (on top of the blankets, no less), and then pants at me.
I shut the door quietly, trying desperately not to think of what Squall can be doing to produce those sounds, and turn to glare at the dog. "Okay, listen up, you stupid Mutt. If you're going to be sleeping here, there will be rules. Rule number one: That is not your side of the bed." I point to the left side, the one closest to the wall. "*That* is your side of the bed. Rule number two: no panting, no drooling, no kicking in your sleep. Rule three: that is *not* your pillow."
The dog, who had miraculously moved to his side of the bed, had then decided to lay down on my pillow. I walk to the bed and wrestle the pillow out from under him, then place it resolutely where my head will go. This time I actually have the energy to pull out the covers. Unfortunately, when I do so, the dog figures that he's going to join me. He stares out at me from under the blankets and whines. I glare, and then slide in next to him. He snuggles against me and places his paw over my back while yawning widely. I roll my eyes. "Whatever Mutt. Let's get this straight right now- rule number four: You are definitely *not* Squall." The dog growls lightly and then falls asleep. I stare at him for a while, deciding on a love/hate relationship with the beast, before I follow him into that wonderful realm of painless unconsciousness. I need all the rest I can get... tomorrow I make Squall remember.
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
Random notes from B.S: Okay.. Yes... I know, crappy chapter ^_^; I blame it on this stupid cold *sniffle* Oh well, I worked with it a lot, and I suppose for now it will have to do. Maybe later after I get some more inspiration I'll redo it. Hn, in that case, I don't suppose it's *that* bad... =P
Faery-of-Fiction: thanks for the review ^_^ Gah! Thanks for reminding me to add 'AU' .. I always forget =P Yup, poor Seifer... and it can only get worse from here! If only I can get my Groove back ^^
Redrum: Gwa ha ^_^ but at least you were forewarned, rather than reading the whole thing until the point and then chewing me out =D I, for one, am happy about this ^^
Wind Chime Bells: Whee! Nice to see you back and reviewing my happy little fics =P I was going to review your new chapters but I was grounded for... various reasons. Yes, that's a good way to put it =P So that's on my list. Actually, I think I'll bump it to the top. Yes, that's the Master Plan ^_^
Kris: Sure ^_^; As long as you don't mob me =P thanks for reviewing ^^
Warning: Language (naturally), mild Rinoa bashing (of course), and most obvious is a highly confused/pissed Seifer ^^
Okay, wow, Ruth's birthday was what, two months ago? Sorry and all ^_^; Hopefully the pace will quicken up now, but I guess we'll see :-) Oh, and I guess we can all thank Sukunami for even getting this chapter here as 'fast' as it was. Thanks :D
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`". . . And you're positive it was him?" Irvine looks at me from his seat at the table, his eyes going back and forth as he follows my pacing form.
I make an unconscious growling noise in the back of my throat as I turn on him. "Yes, I'm positive it was him, for the fiftieth fucking time today. Any other stupid questions you'd like to ask while we're at it?"
Irvine shrugs. "No, but if you'll just calm down I might have a bit of advice for you."
I glare at him, and then yank a chair out from under the table and fall into it. I stare at him pointedly.
He smiles lazily. "Okay, so, without you talking, allow me to try and assess the situation okay?" He notices me about to speak and hastily holds up a hand to stop me. "That would be a rhetorical question. So you go to the dorms, see him, and run off without even bothering to hear the rest of his story? Did you even ask him how he was doing or anything? It would seem to me that if you want to get close to him again, make him remember, as it were, you might want to befriend him. I know from what you've told me that if I were Squall, I would think that you were more or less insane, never mind the fact that he probably thinks you knew him at some point." He leans towards me, his eyes filled with a strange twinkling light. "Now, what I think you should do is go back there, make friends, and whatever you do, try not to let on that you used to know him with your words, use actions. If he's going to remember you then he'll remember you, simple as that. And, if he's named a 'big stupid fucking dog' after you, then he can't have forgotten everything, correct?"
I answer grudgingly. "Correct."
He leans back and pounds the table with his fist. "Exactly! So, what are you still doing sitting here?"
I cross my arms and look at the table. "I don't want to go back."
Irvine raises an eyebrow. "Ah, is big bad Seify afraid?" He obviously means it as a joke, until he catches sight of my face and snort laughs. "Oh Hyne, you are afraid, aren't you?"
I scowl at him and he begins laughing, almost to the point of being hysterical. I roll my eyes. "I'm not afraid, I just don't want to go alone, okay? So you can shut up now." And I mean it too, it's just a little bit too overwhelming for me to finally see my ex-lover all happy with a fairy book girlfriend. I mean fuck, they even bought a dog together.... In all the possible reunions I imagined, this was definitely not one of them. How am I supposed to help it if I'm feeling a tad bit insecure?
His laughter begins to taper off slowly, and finally he gets a hold on himself. "So, if I go with you, will you go and try to take my advice?"
I decide to take a page out of Squall's book. I stand and turn while muttering a 'whatever', and head for the door. I hear Irvine stand with a laugh, and then the jangle of car keys as he snatches them off the counter. He whistles as he passes me and unlocks the doors for us. As I climb in he grins at me. "Let's go befriend us a Squall, shall we?"
I scowl at him, but the man is obviously unaffected by the look. The shortish ride to the dorms is rather silent, aside from Irvine's cheerful whistling. I spend the time with my arms folded across my chest by staring at random pedestrians. Some might call the expression on me face pouty, but I prefer 'Glare of Death'.
When we get to the dorm gates Irvine slaps me, not very friendly either, in order for me to give him my access card. I hand it to him after a brief struggle of getting it out of my pocket, and he grins at me as he reaches out and swipes it through the swiper thing. The gate makes a beeping sound and then swings open, at which Irvine starts the car up and drives slowly though the dormitory parking lot. He parks directly underneath my second story dorm and, after pausing to shut the door carefully, races up the stairs. I take a moment to utter a death wish upon him before following at a more sedate pace. I, unlike the cowboy wannabe, am not in any particular hurry to rush in and see Squall all content with his new girlfriend.
The door opens, amid much loud barking, after the third knock on the door. Squall throws a familiar slightly confused glance at Irvine before standing aside and letting us through. The huge Dog, who I refuse to refer to by its idiotic name, regards me for only a moment before heading for Irvine. My dark mood is temporarily broken at the sight of the Cowboy on tippy toes, staring down at the Dog, whose head is firmly positioned in Irvines crotch. Amazingly the man gives a true smile and says, "he must smell my cat."
Squall mouth hints at the barest of smiles as he yanks the Dog off of Irvine, who immediately holds out his hand. "Hey! I'm Irvine, a reluctant friend of Seifers. And you are...?"
I roll my eyes at Irvine's innocent act as Squall accepts the offered hand and shakes it firmly. "Squall Leonhart."
I almost have a heart attack at Irvines next words. "Hmm," he drawls, entirely too casual, "I don't suppose you would be of any relation to Raine Leonhart, now would you?"
I make a classic slicing motion at my neck behind Squall in order to get Irvine to shut up, but he obviously can't, or won't, take the hint. That stupid fucker... here he is telling *me* not to mention Squall's past, and he's bringing up his mother? I slap my forehead as the conversation continues.
Squall leans forward, obviously intrigued. "I'm not sure. Do you know where I can find her?"
Irvine lazily shrugs one shoulder and then lets it drop while smiling a slow secretive smile. "Sure thing. You can find Miss Raine at the west end of the cemetery off of the old Main Street." He watches as Squall leans back, somewhat crestfallen, before he continues. "You can, however, find her best friend/ supposed lover. I'm sure he would know all about her. Maybe you've heard of him... Laguna Loire?"
Squalls dark eyebrows raise in mild surprise. "The mayor?"
Irvine nods. "The very one."
Squall scrutinizes Irvine carefully and then nods. "I'll go talk with him tomorrow. Thank you."
Irvine touches the brim of his ridiculous cowboy hat. "No problem at all."
Squall then turns to me, still holding onto the panting Dog. "I wasn't sure where you wanted it, so I told the movers to put your things in your room for now."
I mutter a 'thanks' and groan mentally as I picture having to find a place for all my things in this cramped dorm.
Irvine obviously feels my pain, because he comes up and throws an arm around my shoulder. He winks at us. "Okay friends, here's the plan. First I'm gonna take y'all out to lunch, or dinner, which ever you feel like eating. Then we're gonna come back here and I'm gonna help old Seify find a place for his ancient junk."
I glare at him. "It is *not* ancient junk."
"Suuure it isn't, love." He flashes me a patronizing smile, and then turns back to Squall. "So, what say you to the plan?"
Squall frowns. "Rinoa will be here in an hour and a half."
Irvine snorts. "Oh please, that's plenty of time. Grab your coat, I'm buying. I'll see y'all down at the car." And, that being said, he turns and leaves. Squall turns to me, a dark eyebrow slightly raised in question.
"Does he do that often?"
I nod my head. "All the time, and that's not even the half of it."
He nods and leaves, leaving me to get the door. I wave at the Beast on my way out. "Later mutt." The dog woofs after me.
The ride is a short one, the dorm being surprisingly close to the business area of town. The only trouble we had was figuring out exactly what kind of food we wanted and where to eat. Irvine voted for Hooters, but Squall and I vetoed that idea fairly quickly. Eventually we decided on Boco Burger, a small restaurant with excellent food but somewhat scary decorating. I mean come on, they have little plastic chocobos dancing in big bowler hats on every table. What's not to be afraid of?
Irvine slides into a seat without bothering to grab a menu. Selphie drags him here often enough that he probably has the whole thing memorized. Squall sits in the booth across from Irvine, and I groan at having decide who to sit by. Irvine snickers quietly at my discomfort, and Squall ignores me while staring dubiously at the picture of the big cartoonish yellow chocobo in suspenders displayed on the front of the menu. I look between the two of them before resorting to old fashioned measures: ye old 'eeny meenie miney moe' game. My mental finger ends up on Squall and so I sit next to him, doing my best to make as little contact as possible.
The brunette doesn't seem to notice me as he opens the menu and scans the interestingly named selections, and so I relax as much as possible, trying not to let on to the fact that I'm trying my hardest to get a whiff of his shampoo. Apparently though I'm not quite as stealthy as I believed, because he turns to me with scrunched eyebrows. "Do you have a cold?"
I stop sniffing and mutter a 'no'. Thankfully the day is saved by the twenty something waitress who comes to take our orders.
Irvine makes a big show of checking her out as he orders his Root Beer and Bokodog (the Boco Burger's variation of a hot dog), but I know that he'll never act on his impulses aside from some serious flirting. Not only is he incredibly faithful, Selphie would have his head if she thought he was cheating on her. Squall orders a Boco Burger and his customary glass of water, a drink that I loved to tease him about in the beginning of our relationship. I never really stopped messing around with him until the day I found myself soaked to the bone, thanks to him throwing the glass at my head.
The waitress finishes scribbling down their drinks and looks at me expectantly.
"I think I'll just have a Coke, no ice, please."
She scrunches up her eyebrows. "I'm sorry sir, did you say 'no ice'?"
I look at her and nod. "Yes, no ice, thank you."
"Whatever floats your boat, sir." She shakes her head and walks away with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
I look back to my dinner companions and find them both staring at me with an odd look. I frown defensively. "What? It's not like it's the end of the world or anything."
Irvine whistles. "You'd be surprised."
We spend most of the time in silence, the only real noise being in the form of Irvine's whistling of that stupid song, 'Eyes on Me'. Honestly, it does get old after a while. The food finally comes, and the other two eat while I swish my drink around in my Choko-Cup. Irvine doesn't bother to discriminate and just eats french fries and Boco Dog mixed together, whereas Squall carefully alternates between his Boko Burger and the stringy potato sticks.
"So, Squall," Irvine coughs to clear his throat, "how exactly did you get joined up with Caraway Law? You don't look nearly old or stuffy enough to be a board member."
Squall smiles faintly. "I'm only a junior board member, and I signed with the company as a favor to Mr. Caraway."
Irvine leads forward, eyebrow raised in question. "What did you owe him a favor for?"
Squall looks around discreetly, and his voice unintentionally lowers. "Mr. Caraway was the man who helped me after I first woke up with amnesia. He found me the best doctors to treat my wounds and is doing everything he can to help me find my past life."
Irvine makes an 'ahh' sound. I snort. "And of course you gained his daughter in the process."
Irvine tried to shoot me a 'cool it' message with his eyes, but I ignore him. Squall frowns. "Rinoa was the one who found me originally, although I imagine it was an accident. She really is a lovely person, once you can get past the ditziness."
I huff. "I'm sure." Ditziness, says he; plain idiocy, says I.
Both of them soon begin a heated conversation about something or other, with Irvine punctuating random points with french fries. I don't really bother to listen to the words, and instead focus on the sound of Squall's voice. I really shouldn't be upset over Rinoa, I mean, he's happy with her, right? And Squall is usually a good judge of character, so she can't be *that* bad, unless his accident did more to his brain than cause amnesia. But damn it, he's supposed to be with me. I sigh.
I don't know how long I'm lost in that track of thought until I feel a jab in my side. I reflexively growl out "watch it, Puberty Boy", before realizing my error. Thankfully he doesn't comment, although he gives me the strangest look before motioning me out of my seat. I hurry up and move out of the booth, dropping a tip on the table for the waitress, who flashes me a still bemused look on our way out. Honestly, no ice isn't that big of a deal. I give her an annoyed glare on the way out, and she at least has the decency to look chagrined.
The ride home is spent with all of us lost in out own thoughts, except for Irvine, who sings along with the radio at the top of his lungs. Thankfully the idiot has a good voice, or I would have thrown him out the window a long time ago.
When we get to the apartment we find Rinoa waiting for us outside the door. She glances at Irvine, who promptly introduces himself, and then rounds on Squall. It was probably something about how he was supposed to be here for her and she was cold and she was worried... blah blah blah. Honestly lady, who gives a shit.
Squall opens the door, thanks Irvine and me for dinner, and then he and Rinoa retire to their room. A few seconds later the door reopens and the dog is shoved out, most likely Rinoa's doing. The dog growls half heartedly and then flops down on the couch, not even wagging his tail at us. Hn, I know exactly how he feels.
The next several hours are spent in a whirlwind of activity, Irvine and myself racing against time to unpack my belongings. Or, at least, I'm racing against time. Irvine prefers to follow at a sedate pace, every so often holding up an item at random and asking if it's something I *really* need to keep. I put up with it until he holds up my gunblade, a weapon I designed and built back in my school days. It's not until I threaten to shove the half sword, half gun weapon where the sun doesn't shine that Irvine finally gets to work. Most of my stuff stays in my room, but some of the stuff, mainly pots and pans, is banished into the kitchen. When we finally finished we're both hot, sweaty, and incredibly tired. Irvine and I shake hands, and then he leaves, half stumbling on his way out the door. I see him out and then return to my room, flopping down onto the freshly made bed without even bothering to get under the covers.
I've just reached a perfect comfortable position when I hear the worst thing I could possibly hear at this moment: the stupid dog whining and scratching at the door. I pull a pillow over my head in hopes that it will go away, but due to some strange factor the noise only seems to get louder. Finally I jump up and throw open the door with full intentions to smack the dog, or something, when I hear a feminine moan from Squall's room. I scrunch my eyebrows together, not sure I heard right, and then have to fight a wave of nausea as it come again. I look down at the dog. "Fine, Mutt, you can come in just this on...."
The dog pushes past me and makes a flying leap onto my bed, where he promptly splays his body across the center (on top of the blankets, no less), and then pants at me.
I shut the door quietly, trying desperately not to think of what Squall can be doing to produce those sounds, and turn to glare at the dog. "Okay, listen up, you stupid Mutt. If you're going to be sleeping here, there will be rules. Rule number one: That is not your side of the bed." I point to the left side, the one closest to the wall. "*That* is your side of the bed. Rule number two: no panting, no drooling, no kicking in your sleep. Rule three: that is *not* your pillow."
The dog, who had miraculously moved to his side of the bed, had then decided to lay down on my pillow. I walk to the bed and wrestle the pillow out from under him, then place it resolutely where my head will go. This time I actually have the energy to pull out the covers. Unfortunately, when I do so, the dog figures that he's going to join me. He stares out at me from under the blankets and whines. I glare, and then slide in next to him. He snuggles against me and places his paw over my back while yawning widely. I roll my eyes. "Whatever Mutt. Let's get this straight right now- rule number four: You are definitely *not* Squall." The dog growls lightly and then falls asleep. I stare at him for a while, deciding on a love/hate relationship with the beast, before I follow him into that wonderful realm of painless unconsciousness. I need all the rest I can get... tomorrow I make Squall remember.
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Random notes from B.S: Okay.. Yes... I know, crappy chapter ^_^; I blame it on this stupid cold *sniffle* Oh well, I worked with it a lot, and I suppose for now it will have to do. Maybe later after I get some more inspiration I'll redo it. Hn, in that case, I don't suppose it's *that* bad... =P
Faery-of-Fiction: thanks for the review ^_^ Gah! Thanks for reminding me to add 'AU' .. I always forget =P Yup, poor Seifer... and it can only get worse from here! If only I can get my Groove back ^^
Redrum: Gwa ha ^_^ but at least you were forewarned, rather than reading the whole thing until the point and then chewing me out =D I, for one, am happy about this ^^
Wind Chime Bells: Whee! Nice to see you back and reviewing my happy little fics =P I was going to review your new chapters but I was grounded for... various reasons. Yes, that's a good way to put it =P So that's on my list. Actually, I think I'll bump it to the top. Yes, that's the Master Plan ^_^
Kris: Sure ^_^; As long as you don't mob me =P thanks for reviewing ^^